


Pure, sweet, violent hearts

by Toomanyfandoms99



Series: Postbellum [12]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Afterlife, Ahch-To, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Astral Projection, Death, Drama, F/F, F/M, Family, First Order, Flashbacks, Fluff, Future, Inappropriate Use of the Force, Jakku, Jedi, Loth-Cat, Lothal, M/M, Movie: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Movie: Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Naboo - Freeform, New Jedi Order, Prophecy, Speculation, Tatooine, Time Loop, Time Skips, Visions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 21:17:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21288911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toomanyfandoms99/pseuds/Toomanyfandoms99
Summary: The shadow of the open crate shifted, and a little body crawled out of it.  Her profile was apparent to him, and she peeked in his direction, squinting her eyes to account for the sun’s position.Rey’s entire head turned, and brown-bronze eyes widened at him.  Her tanned face had freckles across the cheekbones and nose, and there was a delicacy to her structure that reminded Luke of Leia.  But Rey had a sharpness and a maturity to her also, a wisdom in the way she stared at him and straightened her posture.  She crisscrossed an inch away, her beige shawl and leggings sinking into the sand without a care.  Her rich brown hair was tied back in a series of three buns at the back of her head, strands spilling across her cheeks and stopping at her curved jawline.It was as if Luke and Leia were combined into one being, one more powerful than any other Luke had come into contact with before.
Relationships: Ezra Bridger/Luke Skywalker, Jessika Pava/Rey, Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Poe Dameron/Finn
Series: Postbellum [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1459273
Comments: 4
Kudos: 56





	Pure, sweet, violent hearts

**Author's Note:**

> The final installment is set a decade in the future and beyond. I messed around with sequel trilogy canon and provided some speculation to make my AU work.
> 
> This was based on Tumblr posts about Rey’s parentage and a certain pet Loth-cat.
> 
> The title was taken from the song “Fire Rides” by MO.

Luke was keenly aware of another Force presence. 

It was a normal day on Lothal, having finished his lightsaber training lessons with the twenty children that were his students. They filed out of the classroom, Ezra taking their place.

As Ezra cornered him against the desk and captured Luke’s lips in his, he remembered like a bucket of cold water soaking him to the bone.

Ezra noticed the reaction and stepped back.

‘My vision,’ Luke said with his mind, ‘from ten years ago.’

Ezra inclined his head in discreet understanding. Luke sifted through the memory and repeated the dialogue. It felt rehearsed, but Ezra played along, despite not knowing if his words were correct for timeline integrity or not.

Luke had learned more than he bargained for since moving into the Lothal Temple permanently with Ezra. He found a kriffing portal that travelled through space and time! And that was for starters!

He recalled when the memory ended, Ezra exiting the room. Luke waited a beat and sensed Ezra pausing in the hallway.

Luke nudged his hand, and the door creaked back open with the Force.

Ezra slipped inside the classroom and locked the door behind him. “That was it,” Ezra’s dark blue eyes were starkly bright against his beard and shoulder-length hair, “wasn’t it?”

Luke nodded carefully, as if expecting something else to happen that he didn’t know about yet.

Something probably would. He just had to be patient.

Luke absently realized he was leaning on the desk again, but before he could push himself off, Ezra was standing between his legs.

“I wonder why it was this memory,” Ezra murmured, delving deep into his own mind, searching for an answer that would arrive in due time. “There were hundreds to choose from.”

“Over ten years,” Luke said amusedly, “and you still need to remember to exercise patience.”

“It’s not my strong suit,” Ezra hummed, “that is true.”

“You already presented a distraction,” Luke said lightly. “We can take the kids to the diner.”

“I don’t know,” Ezra sighed, “they can cause trouble.”

“How about we make them promise to behave?” Luke suggested. “It’s a good reinforcer.”

Ezra snorted. “‘A good reinforcer.’ Listen to yourself. You should have never read those parenting books that Leia bought.”

“Little Ben seems to be doing alright so far,” Luke countered.

“You also shouldn’t have read those Senatorial books,” Ezra huffed. “I can’t win an argument against you anymore.”

“Does this mean that you now concede?” Luke asked playfully.

Ezra made a noise of frustration, then tipped his forehead against Luke’s. “Fine. You win. I hate you very much.”

“No you don’t,” Luke breathed, moving to brush Ezra’s lips with his own. Ezra’s barriers sank, his Force signature intertwining with Luke’s. Ezra matured the lip press, and Luke dug his fingers into Ezra’s wildly long hair. His prosthetic hand found Ezra’s bun at the back of his head, and promptly unfurled it with a single swipe. The hair tie slipped on his metal wrist, and excess strands rained down Luke’s upper arms.

Ezra exhaled a short laugh once he registered what Luke was doing, nudging their lips away from each other. Their noses brushed in place of a kiss, and Luke realized that Ezra’s beard was scratching his jaw. 

“You love doing that,” Ezra said hoarsely, “don’t you?”

“Mhm,” Luke chimed happily.

Ezra removed Luke’s hands from his hair and swiped back his hair tie. He gathered his hair up and tied it into his signature bun again. Longer strands framed his cheeks, and Luke tucked them behind Ezra’s ears.

When the bun was secure, Ezra huffed, “let’s wrangle up the little monsters.”

Ezra stepped away from Luke’s legs, allowing him to push off the desk. They left the classroom with intertwined hands and gathered up their Force sensitive charges. 

Luke proved that bargaining and reinforcement truly were fruitful parenting techniques. 

————

Luke was seeing through someone else’s eyes.

He was on a desert planet. Sand dunes that seemed endless were in the background, but the person was clearly behind a spaceport. 

A shuttle was docked a half-mile from the person. Two people, a man and a woman, were being dragged onto it by three bounty hunters.

“Enough struggling,” a Mandalorian said through his vocoder. 

His two companions held fast to the couple, and the person who Luke wore screamed.

It was a little girl’s scream.

“You can either pay your debts in the ship,” the Mandalorian growled, “or in front of your little girl.”

Luke felt pain, immense pain rippling through the Force. The girl was in pure agony, tear tracks dripping down her chin and sizzling on the hot sand.

She screamed again, and the Force reacted.

A wind gust shot forth, as if from her mouth, but it was not powerful enough. The wind gave the bounty hunters a push, but that only spurred a terrible chain of events.

First: the man elbows the Gand bounty hunter, trying to grasp his rifle.

Second: the woman tugs free from the Rodian, dropping to the sand and crawling away.

Third: the man does not get ahold of the rifle, the Gand putting his finger on the trigger.

Fourth: the rifle pierces a messy blaster bolt through the man’s stomach, and he falls.

Fifth: the woman and the girl scream, and the girl starts to run at them.

Sixth: the woman frantically holds up her hands, yelling for the girl to stay.

Seventh: the man gasps out a final breath, and the Mandalorian grabs the woman’s tunic.

Eighth: the woman thrashes as she is lifted to the bounty hunter’s chest, locked between his arms.

Ninth: the Gand and the Rodian Fire their rifles, the woman crumpling and being dropped unceremoniously into the sand.

Tenth: the little girl runs, screaming and crying and running with all of her might.

Luke was yanked out of her mind and thrown into a stark white room. He stared at his metal hand, and realized that he was himself again.

But he was somewhere between being asleep and awake. A blank section of his mind that he only saw when-

“Luke,” an old man said fondly.

He turned towards the sound, and saw a familiar man clad in brown robes.

“Ben,” Luke tested out, his mouth dry as if he had sand forced into it.

“You’ve grown since last time,” Ben observed, a twinkle in his eye. “How long has it been?”

“Since you showed me that vision,” Luke said, “a decade ago to the very day.”

“My,” Ben said wistfully, “you’ve gotten old.”

Luke narrowed his eyes. “I’m not even middle-aged, Ben.”

“Yet I see your soul has become rather old,” Ben said, “and you’re even wiser than before. But you still,” he smiled, “will not grow a beard.”

“Beards do not denote wisdom,” Luke said amusedly. “And besides, I like being difficult to read. Underestimation has always been on my side.”

“Oh,” Ben lowered to a crouch, closer to Luke than ever before, “you’re something else. You may look like your father, and have the heart of your mother,” he tilted his head to the side, a tad childlike, “but you are also entirely unique.”

“I suppose that’s not meant to make sense,” Luke said demurely.

“That’s because,” Ben smiled, “it does not.”

“The girl,” Luke reminded him.

“Ah, yes,” Ben said, “the girl. The latest Chosen One.”

“What?” Luke asked flatly.

“Her name is Rey,” Ben said softly, “and she is five years old, and very frightened.”

“Where is she?”

“Jakku,” Ben said, “a similar planet to Tatooine. Do you see the rhyme, Luke?”

Luke replied warily, “I do.”

“I am glad you’re doing this,” Ben said, suddenly wearing a grin that wasn’t at all appropriate for the topic of discussion. “Saving as many Force sensitives as you can. Training them. Giving them a safe space.”

“I couldn’t save this girl,” Luke murmured, “but you couldn’t save me either.”

“See? The rhyme,” Ben said simply.

Luke huffed. “Did you know that you have a namesake?”

“Do I?” Ben glanced around the white room. “In the Force, you never know what time it is, or how much has passed.”

“Ben Organa-Solo,” Luke said blankly. “He must be five years old by now too.”

Ben suddenly laughed. “The princess and the pirate. That’s a tale told to children. Another rhyme. Funny thing, rhymes.”

Something caught Ben’s eye, and he blinked down at Luke’s flesh hand. 

“Oh,” he said amusedly, “you married the thief. So many rhymes.”

“The farmer and the thief is not a rhyme,” Luke said, studying at his shining wedding ring. “And we are Jedi now. All that you’ve got left, unfortunately.”

“Indeed.” Ben scratched at his white beard. “I suppose you must go. My discorporated mind is getting...shaky.”

“You mean that you must go,” Luke clarified, “not that I must go.”

Ben chuckled. “Yes. Now close your eyes.”

Luke shut his eyes, and two fingers touched his forehead. He fell and fell, until he was laid on a mattress, as if dropping from midair.

When Luke’s eyes snapped open, he realized that he truly had been floating!

All the lights were on, even though it was clearly before dawn. Ezra was searching his face frantically, completely awake at his side.

Ezra’s hand cupped his cheek. “Breathe, Luke! Breathe. In. Out. Come on.”

Luke’s chest rose and collapsed, and he coughed out excess air. He tried to lift up his head, but he was too groggy to do anything except tip his head to the side.

Ezra’s eyes were wide and beseeching, his thumb dragging across Luke’s jaw. “It’s okay. In and out. Slowly.”

Luke squeezed his eyes shut, sucking in air and blowing it out. He was careful and slow, breathing out of his mouth until he could control himself.

When he switched to breathing through his nose, he opened his eyes again. He leaned into the rhythmic swiping of Ezra’s thumb, and murmured, “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“Don’t be sorry, love,” Ezra whispered, gaze raking over Luke’s face. “I just want you to be okay. Are you?”

Luke shook his head, frowning as he hid his gaze with his lashes. “Was I levitating?”

“Mhm.” The edges of Ezra’s grin were apparent from Luke’s downwards angle. “It reminded me of that one time we both started floating when we climaxed.”

Luke shot him a look.

The grin was dashed from Ezra’s face. “But this time it wasn’t fun.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Was it a vision?”

“A bad one,” Luke said frankly, “yeah. I have to go. We’ve got number twenty-one, and a seventh legal adoption on the way.”

Ezra frowned deeply, sinking into his pillow. “Your ship or the door?”

“The door,” Luke replied. “It’s early, right?”

Ezra hummed affirmatively. “I’ll take care of the kids. Take your time, love.”

“Get a room prepared for her arrival.” Luke slid out of bed, searching through his clothes. “And send for Leia’s lawyer so we can get paperwork started.”

“Okay,” Ezra begrudgingly rose from the bed, Luke peeking at his translucent undershirt, “I’ll get up too, I guess.” He sighed, then noticed Luke’s side glance. Ezra asked with a playful grin, “were you checking me out just now?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Luke said smoothly, changing into beige clothes to account for the weather he was going to subject himself to on Jakku.

Ezra laughed brightly. “Sure you don’t.” Luke heard him rummage in his closet and peel off his undershirt. Luke purposefully didn’t peek, keeping on task and securing fabric wraps around his bare arms and knuckles. 

He tossed on a light brown robe and tied the sash together around his waist. Luke didn’t bother surveying himself in the mirror. Ezra appeared, still shirtless, to peck a goodbye kiss on Luke’s cheek.

“Go get her,” Ezra encouraged.

Luke nodded and slipped out of their bedroom.

————

Upon stepping through the doorway, his boots were sinking into the desert sand.

He didn’t miss this one bit.

Luke turned around, and discovered he was a few paces from a spaceport. In the exact spot where the girl saw her parents get killed in front of her.

If the door brought him here, then she must not have run very far.

Luke sank into the Force, and sensed a blip somewhere on the outskirts of the spaceport. Before he set off, he unwrapped part of his arm gauze and secured it around a light pole. A hole had sunken into the sand where he appeared, but it was too inconspicuous to be noticed by residents.

He walked onto the durasteel plates over the sand dunes, honing in on the Force signature. Luke found that the girl’s aura was similar to his own, reflecting a light as bright as the sun itself.

But that light was significantly dimmed, and Luke could sympathize.

He slipped through crowds walking to shuttles and seedy characters trading transactions in the alleys. He left as little of a footprint as possible, and he wasn’t spotted.

To the west of the spaceport, there was a massive overhaul of crates being unloaded from a cargo ship. Some of these crates were opened and left to the elements, no one caring to check what supplies remained.

Or who was hiding there.

Luke knew he had to be careful. Leaning down and looking directly into the crate would frighten her. Grabbing the crate would be even worse.

Luke pinpointed through the Force that she was in the rightmost crate, the one closest to passerby and farthest from the starship. 

A part of her wanted to stay, and the other part wanted to smuggle herself away. He sensed the conflict as easily as Luke felt his own.

Luke plopped himself down on the durasteel, leaning adjacent to the crate. He heard her hold her breath, curled up in the shadow of the open box. 

“You know,” Luke said, “it’s called the Force.”

There was silence, but he heard her exhale softly.

“I know what you’re going through,” he murmured. “I was terrified at what I could do. And I also know,” he paused, “what it is to feel useless in the face of danger.”

There was still no answer.

“I mean you no harm whatsoever,” Luke said gently. “I’m actually quite nice, or so my husband tells me.”

He heard movement inside the crate, as if she too were leaning against the side of the box.

Luke continued, “I can help you. My husband can help you too. There are others just like you. If you come with me, you can meet them. We can all keep you safe.”

He sensed her obvious hesitation, but also, an overflow of curiosity.

Her voice was soft and thin when she asked through the crate wall, “how many?”

Luke smiled, as if she could see him, when he knew she couldn’t with her eyes. “Including me and my husband, twenty-two. And that’s not including a few friends that I know. As well as the dozens of others I sense scattered across the galaxy like you.”

The possibilities made her inner light brighten once again, and she murmured, “you’re made of sunshine.”

Luke realized how advanced her powers were already. She could see his aura before she could see his face!

“So are you,” Luke said. “I’m Luke Skywalker. What’s your name, honey?”

“Rey,” she replied.

“I don’t mean to rush you, Rey,” Luke coaxed, “so you can come out whenever you’d like. I’ll be here, okay?”

“You’ll be here?” Rey asked hopefully.

“I’ll be right here, for whenever you’re ready. Okay?”

“Okay,” Rey chimed.

When she did not move, Luke recognized that this was a test. For a five year old, this girl had a shockingly advanced mind. 

Rey was so much like him that Luke was dizzy by the striking similarities.

Luke leaned against the side of the crate and waited patiently. If Ezra were in his place, he would already be tapping his foot, eager to leave.

But Luke waited. He waited until midday, when the sun was at its highest. He waited for hours, and knew Rey was weighing her options.

Rey was extra special. Luke understood this now.

When the spaceport became congested in the afternoon, he heard a small, “you haven’t left.”

The brokenness and disbelief in Rey’s voice made Luke’s heart ache.

“No, Rey,” Luke said, “I told you I wouldn’t.”

The shadow of the open crate shifted, and a little body crawled out of it. Her profile was apparent to him, and she peeked in his direction, squinting her eyes to account for the sun’s position.

Rey’s entire head turned, and brown-bronze eyes widened at him. Her tanned face had freckles across the cheekbones and nose, and there was a delicacy to her structure that reminded Luke of Leia. But Rey had a sharpness and a maturity to her also, a wisdom in the way she stared at him and straightened her posture. She crisscrossed an inch away, her beige shawl and leggings sinking into the sand without a care. Her rich brown hair was tied back in a series of three buns at the back of her head, strands spilling across her cheeks and stopping at her curved jawline.

It was as if Luke and Leia were combined into one being, one more powerful than any other Luke had come into contact with before.

Rey’s lip wobbled, and her chocolate eyes welled up. “My parents are gone.”

“So are mine, Rey,” Luke whispered.

Rey sniffled, blinking away tears before they could fall. “Does it get better?”

“In time,” Luke offered, “it does.”

Rey seemed to understand everything else Luke wanted to express, but left between the lines.

Luke wondered if this was a being on their second life, or their third. Or if Rey really was going to be the next Chosen One based upon her own merits.

“Okay,” Rey said, “I’ll come. You’re pretty. Does your husband tell you that you’re pretty?”

Luke blinked. How she associated those two things in her mind was beyond him.

“He does,” Luke said, offering her a soft smile. “I have a teleport right outside the spaceport. I can take you there now.”

Luke allowed Rey to stand, and he slowly rose to his feet. She tried to look up at him, but she squinted her eyes in vain.

“You can take my hand,” Luke said, holding it out, “if that helps.”

Rey looked at the hand hesitantly, then slid her fingers through it. Luke realized how tiny she was for her age, the top of her head barely reaching his knees.

“Would you like to say goodbye to your crate?” Luke said lightly. “It was good to you.”

Against all odds, Rey smiled, her crooked mouth revealing a hint of teeth on one side. She turned towards the box and chirped, “thank you, crate!”

Luke stifled a laugh. “And you can say goodbye to Jakku.”

Rey faltered.

“Not completely,” Luke amended. “I’m sure you’ll be back.”

Rey cleared her throat and said, “bye for now, Jakku.”

“Okay,” Luke said, “anything else you want to say goodbye to, honey?”

Rey was silent for a moment, then she murmured almost inaudibly, “bye, mom and dad. I love you.”

Luke bit his lip so his eyes wouldn’t well up. This little girl was extraordinary. Simply extraordinary.

“Ready to go?” Luke asked, ensuring through his tone that he could wait longer.

But Rey did not want to wait anymore. “Yes,” she said assuredly.

She was certainly the most self-assured five year old Luke had ever met. And he raised several of them!

Luke walked forward, and Rey held his hand. Her little legs somehow breezily matched his shorter bounds, and Luke soon found the gauze he wrapped around a light pole.

He removed the arm wrapping with one hand, making to twine it around his knuckles to form a fingerless glove.

But Rey’s free fingers skimmed across the airy material, and asked, “can I have this? To remember them by?”

Luke smiled cordially. “Of course. I’ll wrap it on your arm.”

Rey held out her free arm, and Luke secured it in multiple turns about her thin lower arm. Her eyes went wide when it was tied around her wrist. “I like it!”

“It suits you,” Luke said gently. “Now I need you to step into the sand, hold onto my hand tight, and close your eyes.”

“For the teleport?”

“Yes. Now step off with me.”

Rey squeezed his hand and stepped off. She closed her eyes and squeezed them shut.

“Good. We’re going to count to ten, okay?”

“Okay,” Rey chimed, inclining her head.

Luke said the numbers, and he felt the door reopening again. Rey murmured along, and he felt them being taken away from Jakku.

————

Luke studied Rey as she slipped away, wandering the blank room where the portal and entrance were the only adornments. She stared at the portal incredulously as it closed, then at the normal door in the nondescript room.

“Where’d we go?” Rey asked curiously.

“I’ll show you,” Luke said, Rey attaching herself to his leg as he opened the door. 

Rey followed him closely as they went down the hallway. She drank in the unfamiliar surroundings with the intensity of a fly buzzing around the room, soaking in as much as she could at once.

Luke stopped when they reached a window, one of the few stationed on the side of the Temple. A wooden bench was below it, and Luke crouched to Rey’s level.

“I can let you up here. Ready?”

Rey nodded, and Luke held out his arms. In the span of a breath, he lifted up her sides until her boots touched the wooden bench. She stood on tiptoes, using her arms to secure a space on the sandstone windowsill. Her chin rested on her crossed arms, and she peered over the window.

“We’re on my husband’s home planet, Lothal,” Luke said. “This planet is special for Force sensitives.”

“And that’s me?” Rey inquired, surveying the city away from the canyon where the Temple resided.

“You are one of many Force sensitives in the galaxy,” Luke said. “You have the power to feel all the life energy around you and use it.”

“I don’t get it.”

“That’s fine. Take it at your own pace.”

“What kind of building is this?”

“This is a Jedi Temple,” Luke replied.

Rey finally turned away from the window, glancing at the Luke over her shoulder. “Is that what you are?”

“Yes. And that’s what you can become, if you like.”

There was a purr, and Rey jumped a little. Luke turned around and saw his Loth-cat had crept up behind them.

“It’s okay,” Luke said softly to Rey. “This is a Loth-cat, one of the few Force-sensitive animal species in the galaxy. Her name is Elizabeth.”

Rey lowered herself away from the window and crouched on the bench. Elizabeth looked up at Rey, swishing her tail curiously. Her saucer eyes settled entirely on Rey and her ears twitched in obvious interest.

“Go on,” Luke murmured, sensing Rey’s hesitation, “you can touch her. She won’t hurt you.”

Rey dangled her hand below the bench, and Elizabeth leaned up. Elizabeth’s head brushed against her fingers, and Rey giggled.

“Hi,” Rey cooed. “I’m Rey. You’re Elizabeth?”

At the sound of her name, Elizabeth twitched her ear in affirmation.

“Hi Elizabeth,” Rey said, “you’re cute.”

Elizabeth clearly enjoyed the compliment, purring into Rey’s hand.

“Do you sense her?” Luke asked. “What do you see?”

“Moonlight,” Rey replied. “I see moonlight.”

Rey’s abilities were truly unique. Seeing inward auras before outward bodies was incredible!

“Do you sense everyone here?” Luke wondered.

Rey closed her eyes, as if comprehending it was a universal way to concentrate her powers. “Yes. There are,” she counted, “twenty-one. All of them look different.”

“They are each aspects of nature,” Luke said, Rey opening her eyes, “based on their home planets. So even if you do not visit Jakku,” he motioned to her heart, “Jakku is a part of you.”

“Where are you from?” Rey inquired. “You’re like me!”

“I’m from Tatooine,” Luke replied, “a desert planet exactly like Jakku. That is why we look similar inside.”

“Oh,” Rey said, thinking for a moment, as if sifting through their winding conversation. “What does a Jedi do?”

“A Jedi is a warrior who carries a sword of light and helps those in danger.”

Rey furrowed her brows. “How many Jedi are here?”

“Let’s see,” Luke thought, “my husband and I make two. Out of our twenty students, fifteen pursue intense Jedi training. That’s seventeen Jedi.”

“And the other five?”

“They simply want control,” Luke said. “They want to assimilate back into their lives with a further knowledge on how to control their abilities.”

“Assimilate,” Rey tested out the unfamiliar word, pronouncing it perfectly. “I understand.”

“Good marks on your first day, Rey,” Luke praised. “Now, I want you to think about something rather serious over the next few days. I want you to think about staying here, and assigning me as your guardian. Can you think about that for me?”

“Okay,” Rey said lightly.

“Good.” Luke saw Elizabeth insert herself back into the conversation, leaping onto the bench and sitting beside Rey. “Now would you like to meet someone?”

“Who?”

“My husband.”

“Oh,” Rey said shyly, “okay.”

“He’s nice too, honey,” Luke assured her.

Luke slipped into the Force and projected himself through Ezra’s eyes. He was in the grand hall of the Temple, the place where the group gathered to train with their lightsabers. He exited out of Ezra’s personal space and created a holographic copy of himself instead.

The copy, which none of the others could see, dragged fingers across Ezra’s shoulders. His head turned away from ten sets of duellists practicing their lightsaber forms.

Luke kissed Ezra’s cheek, and he shivered.

“Come find me,” he whispered, the Force hologram dissipating.

As the image faded, he heard Ezra announce, “you’re dismissed early today. Good job everyone.”

Luke heard their students cheer, then saw Rey studying him curiously.

“What did you do?” Rey asked, Elizabeth now purring in her lap.

“I used the Force to call my husband,” Luke said.

Rey’s lips parted in amazement. “You can do that?”

“You have much to learn,” Luke said, “and plenty of time to learn it all.”

Ezra rounded the corner, approaching him concernedly. He seemed to sigh in relief once he saw him, and Luke realized he had been gone for hours.

Ezra only had eyes for him in that moment. “I was starting to get worried. I’m glad you’re back.”

“There’s no need to worry,” Luke murmured, “I’m fine.”

Ezra reached him and kissed his cheek. He crouched so he was level with the bench. “Now who’s this little sweetheart?” He grinned and turned on his signature charm. “I’m Ezra Bridger-Skywalker. And yes,” he glanced up at Luke, “I took my husband’s last name.”

Luke snorted at how easily Rey leaned in Ezra’s direction. “I’m Rey,” she said quietly.

“Hi Rey,” Ezra said, his magnetism drawing her in, “I see you have a new friend. Elizabeth loves you already.”

Rey blushed, and Luke wanted to roll his eyes while scoffing. Luke had long since been resistant to Ezra’s charms.

Or not. Depending on who was asked.

“What does Ezra look like to you, honey?” Luke asked, Ezra raising an eyebrow at him.

He would see.

“Rain,” Rey chimed. “You’re sunny, and he’s rainy.” She giggled at the complementary yet contrasting elements.

Ezra’s head shot up at Luke in wonderment. “Okay, whoa.” His head swiveled back to Rey, sending her a radiant grin. “That’s a wonderful ability you have, Rey. Truly magnificent.”

Luke glanced out the window, checking the time from the sun position. “I suppose I should begin cooking soon.”

Ezra hummed at the mention of food. “Do you know how to cook, Rey?”

“I used to help my mom,” Rey said, and it took a beat for her mind to catch up with her mouth.

Ezra sensed the ripple between Rey and Luke, and he breezed past the issue for now, the wound too fresh. “You can help Luke and the students who are more adept in the kitchens. How about that?”

“Okay,” Rey said.

————

Luke and Rey entered the kitchens early, before the other students arrived. Luke took stock of the ingredients and decided to make a vegetable soup that would adhere to all dietary habits. He set Rey up on a step stool beside him. Rey washed the vegetables over the sink, and Luke chopped them. 

They fell into a comfortable rhythm, and Rey asked, “how many Jedi here cook?”

“Three,” Luke said. “They’ll be here soon.”

“How old are they?”

“Students range from five to seventeen years of age,” Luke said. “You’re our youngest, but don’t worry. Everyone’s really nice. I can’t stress it enough.”

“Okay,” Rey chimed.

There was another few moments of silence, and Luna rushed into the kitchen.

“Sorry we’re all late,” she said frantically, “we were washing up, and...oh.”

Rey paused in her task, turning around on the stool. She did not speak, and Luke chopped vegetables curtly.

Luna knelt to her level, smoothing out her boxy black robes, and smiled. “Hi. I’m Luna Skywalker-Bridger.”

“I’m Rey,” she said shyly. “I like your tattoo.”

The Mirialan smiled at the mention of her traditional chin tattoo. “Thank you. I like your hair.” Luna looked up at Luke amusedly. “I’ll bet Papa will want to learn how to do the triple bun.”

“You’re right,” Luke said with a chuckle. “I’m surprised he hasn’t asked yet.”

Luna smiled back at Rey. “I’m the oldest, so if you ever need anything, I’m here. Okay?”

“Okay,” Rey murmured.

Luna rose to her feet and asked, “where is my apron, Dad?”

Luke nudged his head to the opposite side, and Luna found it. She secured it around her robes and set off to work.

Luke sensed Ramir enter the kitchen next, the teenage Bothan catching sight of Rey immediately.

“Whoa,” Rey’s eyes widened, “I’ve never seen a Bothan in person before!”

Ramir, a tad uncomfortable by the attention, smiled nervously and lowered himself to her stool. “I’m Ramir Dza’tey. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Rey,” she chimed, “and I like your ears!”

Ramir twitched his overlong ears, sticking straight up his furry face. “Thank you. They’re my pride and joy, little one.”

Their third and final arrival was Shira, and Rey’s attention was instantly snapped up by her. Ramir took his place making broth with Luna.

Shira was a red-skinned Twi’lek only two years Rey’s senior. Luke knew that Rey would like seeing a girl around her own age.

Shira beamed and skipped towards Rey. “Hi!” She cast her montrals over her shoulders. “Are you new? I’m Shira May!”

“I’m Rey,” she said happily.

“Can I help wash vegetables with you?” Shira asked.

“Okay,” Rey stepped to the side, “we can share a stool.”

Shira stepped up and the two fit comfortably on the stool. Rey was set at ease by Shira’s presence, and Luke caught Luna and Ramir melting at their cuteness.

After cooking the vegetable soup, Rey presented dinner to the group gathered around the large table. Rey met other Force sensitives, befriending the Nautolan twins Yara and Mara.

Luke noted how joyful she became at seeing other Force sensitives just like her. When he showed Rey her room after dinner, he reminded her to think about adoption. Luke had a good feeling that she will consent to having both him and Ezra as her guardians.

————

Ezra watched Luke step out of their private fresher clad in boxers and a thin shirt, then promptly collapse onto the bed in exhaustion.

Ezra chuckled at the dramatics, rolling on his side and reeling Luke into his arms. “Long day, huh?”

Luke hid his face in the pillow and groaned in agreement. 

Ezra brushed back Luke’s bangs, and the action soothed the creases in his forehead. Luke’s entire body seemed to uncoil from the day’s stress, all under his gentle touch.

Luke murmured, “thank you for taking care of everyone today.”

“It was no problem. Besides,” Ezra’s fingers carded through Luke’s shaggy hair, “I think you had the harder job.”

“I can’t refute that,” Luke agreed, closing his eyes as Ezra shut off the lamp with a Force wave.

Ezra’s lips pressed against Luke’s forehead. “The lawyer will be here in a few days. How does Rey feel about being a part of the family?”

“I’m surprised at how well she’s responding to everything,” Luke said honestly. “She just lost her parents, but she’s still so…”

“Bright?”

“Yes. Very bright. It’s...strange. Am I overthinking it?”

“Yes,” Ezra replied easily.

Luke snorted. “Shut up.”

“Rey is similar to you,” Ezra said, “and you are the exact same way. Even on your worst days, even when you’re beaten down and depressed, you shine bright. Even now. Right now, in the dark,” he grinned, “you shine. So don’t worry about this, Luke.”

Luke sighed. “Stop sweet-talking me. It’s annoying.”

Ezra laughed. “By the end of the week, we’ll have a seventh child. We might as well retire; we’ll have plenty of support into our old age.”

“That’s a nice thought,” Luke said, “but we’re just getting started.”

Ezra tugged Luke even closer. “Another long day tomorrow. I’ll let you sleep.”

Luke wrapped his arms around Ezra’s sides. “Good night, Ez.”

“Good night, Luke.”

————

Ezra awoke and yawned as the sun rose, stretching luxuriously on the bed. He felt impossibly light as he remembered making love to Luke.

He held out an arm, meaning to nudge Luke’s shoulder, thereby causing his button nose to scrunch in the cutest possible way.

But his hand hit the pillow. And the sheets were cold.

Ezra turned to the side, and found that Luke wasn’t in their bedroom. Before he could panic, he remembered that they weren’t on a secret base anymore, and they weren’t cleaning up the last remnants of a decades-long war. They were safe in the Jedi Temple. The Force would always protect them here.

He closed his eyes and sighed into the Force. He found Luke’s Force signature in the room across the hallway. 

Rey’s room.

It had been a month since Luke brought Rey to the Temple, and she was adjusting quite well into their family. Within that first week, when Leia’s lawyer arrived, Rey consented to being adopted by them. Her name had since become Rey Skywalker-Bridger, along with the six other orphans under their care.

Every student adored Rey, and she seemed to get along with everybody easily. She was quite popular in a group setting, but when she had free time, she tended to isolate herself.

Ezra wasn’t too worried about it. He would do the same thing: lock himself in his room on the Ghost when everything became too much and he needed to think.

Rey was starting to understand her abilities, too. Luke made sure that she understood the basic rules on using the Force responsibly, and patiently taught her how to read and write. Since Rey was so new to the makeshift family, she couldn’t exactly train with everyone else, but she learned how to control the wind. And that was something!

Luke spent a lot of time teaching Rey, so that left Ezra to take on teaching the other kids mostly alone. Ezra was used to the rhythm, since it was Luke who was better at instructing new recruits. He knew Luke felt a little bad about it, but Ezra was the first to suggest favors in exchange for his hard work.

Their clock beeped with the rising of dawn, and Ezra knew he couldn’t delay for much longer. He slipped out of bed, and absently remembered that he forgot to put on clothes.

Good thing no one knocked on the door or barged in on them. It was in their best interest not to traumatize any children.

Ezra dug through his closet and chose brown and beige robes to wear, adding his kyber crystal necklace into the mix. The students would be bummed there was no lightsaber training today, but Ezra needed a break from the constant exercise. He was getting old.

Ezra set the clothes near the fresher sink and stepped into the shower. He checked on Luke’s vitals, and sensed that he was still unconscious. Ezra was kind enough not to wake him right away.

It took a while for Ezra to tame his long hair and trim his beard after the shower. When he made to secure his hair in a bun, he had an idea. He grabbed three ties and recalled how Rey told him she did her hair. Gather the top part of his hair and make a larger bun. Allow hair to spill out of the first tie and gather an extra layer of hair to make a second bun. All the excess hair left at the bottom is tied into the final bun.

Ezra laughed at himself in the mirror; the style worked for him.

He tucked excess strands behind his ears and pulled on the robes over his shoulders. He secured the tie resting on his wrist and laughed at himself again. Luke was going to love it!

Ezra decided to check in on Luke and Rey before he started basic self-defense drills with the students.

He went across the hallway and knocked lightly on the door. “Rey? Luke?”

Tiny footsteps resounded, Rey pressing her cheek against the door. “Shh. Dada’s sleeping,” she whispered.

Hearing Rey call them Dada and Papa so readily had Ezra’s heart melting.

Ezra chuckled and said quietly, “can I see Dada, sweetheart?”

There was a beat of consideration, then Rey went on a stool and keyed open the door. Ezra entered, Rey surveying him from her stoop. She saw his hairstyle and giggled softly.

Ezra brushed back a loose strand on Rey’s own three-bun contraption and tucked it behind her ear. He held out his arms, and Rey nodded. Ezra brought Rey down to the ground in a quick lift. Rey smiled, and Ezra turned to the cot.

Luke was passed out with his back to the door, curled inwards, a space empty where Rey must have slept. He wore a thin white shirt and loose pajama pants, tugged on when Rey must have tapped on their door. 

Rey must have had a nightmare. It was the only explanation for why Luke was here. 

A little ball of fur against Luke’s stomach indicated that Elizabeth slept between them for further comfort.

Suddenly, Elizabeth’s tail swished, and her head lifted. Huge eyes peered from over Luke’s side and settled on Ezra and Rey. Her ear twitched, and she placed a paw on Luke’s chest.

Luke’s eyes shot open, and he made a little noise. He comprehended his surroundings and blinked down at Elizabeth. She meowed and leapt over him gracefully, slinking against the floor and perching on Rey’s stool.

Luke wrinkled his nose and sat up in the cot. Rey giggled, and Luke smiled wanly at her. Rey glanced at Ezra, and Luke’s eyes widened.

He blushed. “Hey, babe.”

Rey said amusedly, “show him, Papa.”

Ezra tilted his head to the side, beaming as he showed off the three buns. “What do ya think?”

Luke analyzed him for a few beats, not speaking. Rey declared, “Dada’s speechless!”

Luke chuckled at the exclamation, his eyes sparkling. Ezra’s entire being shuddered when Luke set his dazzling smile on him.

What Ezra would give to have an uninterrupted morning with his husband…

“It suits you,” Luke decided. “You two can match all the time now.”

Rey seemed delighted at the idea. 

Luke rose from the cot and asked, “can you watch her while I get ready, Ez?”

“Mhm. Make it quick.”

Luke nodded, Elizabeth slinking after him once he exited the room.

Ezra chose to crisscross in the middle of Rey’s room, and she did the same. “Your new robes look great, honey.”

“Yeah?” Rey beamed, glancing at her beige robes. “They’re comfy!”

“That is true,” Ezra said amusedly.

They chatted about Rey’s training and the natural elements that she saw in every student. Luke returned a short time later in maroon and black robes.

They both rose to their feet upon his arrival, and Luke said, “you can get going, Ez.” Luke held out his arms. “Wanna take a ride?”

Rey stepped forward. Luke picked her up and settled her on his hip. Despite being too old for this behavior, she was small enough to be carried. The door slid open, and Luke brought Rey into the hall. 

Ezra trailed after him in disbelief. “Um,” he murmured, “there’s something you forgot to do this morning.”

Luke blinked at him incredulously, all cat eyes and curiosity. “What?”

Ezra grinned wryly and leaned on Luke’s opposite side. Rey giggled as Ezra bumped his forehead against Luke’s.

“My good morning kiss,” Ezra whispered.

Luke sighed exasperatedly, but pressed their lips together quickly. “Good morning, you sap.”

Ezra hummed. “Good morning, love.”

“Ugh,” Luna said loudly, “not in public.”

Luke and Ezra’s heads dazedly snapped towards the opposite end of the hallway. Luna and Ramir were walking together and just so happened to see them before they moved along.

“And not in front of Rey!” Ramir exclaimed.

“Gross, Dads,” Luna added unnecessarily.

Rey giggled. “I’m fine! Promise!”

Luna and Ramir moved to the adjacent hallway, and Ezra laughed at Luke’s light blush.

“I’ll see you both later,” Ezra said, kissing Luke’s cheek and brushing back another strand of Rey’s hair as a goodbye.

Luke carried Rey off and Ezra jogged to catch up with the students.

————

For the children who had homes, Luke and Ezra decided they could get one month off from training to stay with their parents.

Once they learned in one of their books that Force sensitives were cut off from their parents at infancy, they knew they could never do that. And since most of the children they recruited were a few years old already, they knew working with the parents was crucial. 

Some they found refused to give up their children, which was understandable. Others had multiple children, so letting one go to a special school wasn’t that much of a loss. Every situation varied exponentially, and the couple was surprised that twenty-one agreed to the terms.

Luke and Ezra sent off their remaining fourteen students to shuttles across the galaxy. They went in groups to ensure an older teenager was always there to supervise.

The other seven children, meanwhile, had nowhere else to go. They stayed with Luke and Ezra at the Temple, and this would be the first annual break where Rey was a part of the family.

And during these breaks, family on Luke and Ezra’s side came to visit Lothal. They could expect everyone this year, so the Temple would be a packed house.

Both Luke and Ezra overheard Rey discreetly asking the other kids about the families.

“Well,” Luna chimed, “I know that Luke’s twin sister Leia has a son your age.”

“Ben Organa-Solo,” Yara clarified.

“He’s an okay kid,” Mara said.

“A little weird, though,” Oscar, an eight year old humanoid from Stewjon, commented.

“You’re weird,” Mavis, a thirteen year old Cerean, pointed out, “but we all love ya.”

“And then there’s Jacen Jarrus-Syndulla,” Quincy, a fourteen year old Kiffar, reminded them. “He’s ten by now, right? Papa’s Master’s kid?”

“Has to be,” Luna confirmed, turning back to Rey. “I’m sure Dad and Papa already told you this, but everyone-”

“Is really nice, yes,” Rey finished.

The whole merry family arrived on the Ghost and Falcon, landing in front of the Temple late at night. Luke and Ezra were the only ones awake.

The Temple doors swung open dramatically, Loth-wolves and Loth-cat guards allowing Leia to pass through first.

When her silhouette was lit by overhead lights, they saw that little Ben was holding her hand. He was the spitting image of Han, inheriting his dark hair and hazel eyes and overall stature. But the delicateness of his facial features and his lighter skin tone and the hardness in his eyes showed that Ben had Leia’s traits too. Ben wore a combination of brown and black clothes, and Leia wore a violet dress.

“So,” Leia glanced around the grand hall, “I see you need some interior decorating done.”

Luke snorted. “You’re a treat as usual, Leia.” He knelt down to address Ben. “Hi, Benny.”

“Hi, Uncles,” Ben chimed.

“You look awful, Ezra,” Leia said, shaking her head in disapproval. “Are you the leader of a commune or a serious institution?”

“In a way,” Ezra teased, “I am a commune leader.”

“So unkempt,” Leia clucked her tongue, “like my son.”

Ezra knelt beside Luke and grinned at Ben. “Hey, Ben. How are things?”

“In the Force?” Ben picked up. “Fine. I’m meditating.”

“Fantastic,” Ezra praised. “Now where’s your Dad?”

“He’s docking,” Leia rolled her eyes, “making an unnecessary fuss.”

“Don’t make fun of me,” Han griped, walking up and completing the family unit. As Luke and Ezra rose to their feet, Han said, “Lothal is dangerous at night. You never know when a junk trader might get ideas and shimmy down the canyon we’re inside.”

“So you admit the Falcon is a piece of junk?” Luke grinned. “This is a good day for all of us.”

Leia and Ezra chuckled as Han stammered out, “you be quiet now, or my baby will hear you and get very angry.”

“Um,” Leia blinked down at Ben, “this is your baby.”

“I know!” Han waved his hands around. “It’s crazy, Leia!”

Chewbacca’s growl of greeting pierced through the echo chamber of an entrance hall. There was a whirr, followed by a string of binary directed at a protocol droid speaking frantically.

“-can’t possibly know that for certain, Artoo. I swear, I have no idea where you hear these terrible things.”

Leia whistled at Artoo and Threepio. “Cut it out!”

“Thank you,” Han swooned, “I love you.”

Artoo bumped against Luke’s legs, and beeped to express how much he missed him. Luke chuckled and said, “I miss you too, bud.”

“Master Luke,” Threepio said excitedly, “it’s good to see you again. And you too, Master Ezra.”

Luke and Leia stifled laughs, recalling the same memory.

“Yo!” Sabine strolled through the double doors with her hands in the air. “Who’s ready to party? I’m here!”

A little boy rushed past her, and declared with gusto, “I’m here too!”

“Jacen,” Hera hissed, “no running with Sabine!”

“Just let his energy run out,” Kanan said tiredly.

Zeb strolled in with Chopper and locked eyes with Ezra. “Can you help control this small child?”

Ezra beamed and knelt, holding out his arms. “Hey, Jacen!”

The green-haired, blue-eyed boy gasped at Ezra and ran into his arms. “Ezzie!”

“Still goin’ with Ezzie?” He asked Jacen. 

“Yup!”

“He still calls me Bean,” Sabine said with a fond eyeroll. “It’s hopeless.”

“What happened to your hair?” Hera said, spreading her arms towards Ezra and scoffing. “You’ve gotten heathenish.”

“See?” Leia said pointedly. “Even your Mom sees it, Ezra.”

“Rude,” Ezra said, ruffling Jacen’s head and pulling him close. “How’s training?”

“Good,” Jacen chirped, “I commanded a purrgil!”

Ezra gasped. “No way! All by yourself?!”

“Mhm!” Jacen bobbed his head.

Ezra’s mouth fell open. “I’m impressed.”

There was a rush of panic through the Force, and Luke and Ezra’s head snapped towards the hallway.

“What?” Kanan caught their similar stances, and looked in the same direction. “Do you sense something?”

Luke and Ezra shared a hesitant look.

Luke said, “I’ll handle it.”

He left the grand hall briskly, and Ezra was faced with concerned faces.

Ezra smiled impishly. “So we have a new daughter.”

“That’s why you needed a lawyer,” Leia said, smacking her own forehead. “That one flew right past me!”

“Number seven, right?” Han asked.

“Lucky number seven,” Ezra chimed. “She has nightmares.”

“How old is she?” Kanan inquired.

“Rey is five,” Ezra replied. 

“Poor girl,” Hera cooed.

A soft melody floated from the hallway into the grand chamber. It was a hushed lullaby, and Ezra grinned at Luke’s lovely singing voice mingled with Rey’s.

“She’s fine,” Ezra said dazedly. “I’ll show you to the rooms.”

He cleared his throat and got himself on track, despite wanting to drift closer and listen to his husband sing.

————

Luke pushed open the kitchen door early in the morning, hoping to make pastries before everyone woke up and started roaming about the Temple.

But when he opened the door, he saw that Luna and Rey were already there, giggling as flour powdered the counter surfaces and parts of the tile floor.

Luna caught his eye first and cleared her throat, standing up straight and smiling sheepishly. “Hi Dad. We’re just, um…”

“Making pastries!” Rey exclaimed, lines of flour dusting her cheeks as she grinned. 

Luke surveyed the mess and huffed. He could reprimand them, but baking was meant to be a fun activity. And the fact that they already started the recipe gave them points in their favor.

Luke willingly walked into the flour disaster and asked, “what step are you on?”

“We have all of the ingredients together,” Luna said, hiding a smile at the lack of punishment.

He hopes Ezra doesn’t see this before it’s cleaned up. Luke doesn’t want him making even more of a mess.

Because Ezra would totally do that. Just to spite Luke.

Luke dictated the next tasks, and his oldest and youngest adopted child worked with him to form the dough. 

When they were shaping the pastry dough, Han slipped inside the kitchen and said, “I smell food.”

Luke smiled at him to show Rey not to stiffen up at a stranger’s arrival. “You can help shape pastries for Leia.”

“Cool,” Han bobbed his head and took a space on the opposite side of the counter. He smiled at the Mirialan. “Hey, Luna. How are you?”

“I’m good,” Luna said cordially.

“You’ll be an adult soon, huh?” Han grabbed a block of dough and created spheres.

“Yeah,” Luna said, “real soon.”

“I feel old all of a sudden,” Han said, visibly disturbed that he was past middle-aged.

Luke placed a hand on Rey’s shoulder, and she looked up at him. “Han, this is Rey.”

Han observed the little girl who peered over at him unsuredly. Han gave her his signature half-smile and lowered his voice. “Hi Rey. You’re adorable.”

Rey blushed, Han’s charms working more effectively than Ezra’s. “I bet you are too.”

Han grinned. “I’m adorable? Aw. I’m Han Solo-Organa. And yes,” he clarified, “I took my wife’s last name.”

Luke sighed deeply. “Stop talking to Ezra, please.”

Han chuckled, and Luna explained to Rey, “Han is Luke’s sister’s husband.”

“Oh,” Rey nodded in understanding, “okay.”

Once they finished shaping the dough and the pastries were in the oven, a mischievous ten year old boy entered the kitchen sniffing.

“What is that?” Jacen sniffed again. “It’s wonderful!”

“Jacen,” Hera sighed as she trailed behind him, “don’t barge into rooms! This isn’t the Ghost!”

But Jacen wasn’t listening. He was staring at the unfamiliar little girl in the room, completely entranced.

“Hi,” Jacen breathed, “I’m Jacen Jarrus-Syndulla. And you are?”

“Rey Skywalker-Bridger,” she said brightly.

Jacen smiled. “Hi. You’re really bright. I-in the Force, I mean. Really bright. In the Force.”

Rey giggled. “Thanks.”

Luke blinked over at Hera, who was equally concerned.

A crush. By the stars.

Hera snapped the children out of their daze and knelt in front of Rey. “Hi, sweetheart. I’m Hera Syndulla.”

“Hi!” Rey smiled. “I love your eyes!”

Hera couldn’t help but be vaguely charmed. “I love your eyes too.”

“Come on, Benny,” Oscar tugged the younger boy inside the kitchen, “you have to meet Rey.”

Ben was ready to grumble about preferring to hide in a corner.

But then Ben locked eyes with Rey, and he was paralyzed.

The fire-haired boy glanced between Rey and Ben, his mouth falling open. Oscar said to Luke, “so this is happening, huh?”

Luke rolled his eyes, and Hera gathered up a frowning Jacen.

“Hi,” Rey chimed, “I’m Rey Skywalker-Bridger.”

“I’m Ben Organa-Solo,” Ben said shyly.

“I heard we’re the same age,” Rey chatted. “I’m so glad I’m not the youngest anymore.”

Before Ben could muster a reply, Ezra entered with hands on hips. “Why am I not a part of this?”

“Papa,” Rey said humorously, “you take too long to do the hair buns!”

Ezra arched an eyebrow. “That’s why I missed out? Really?”

Rey bobbed her head. “Gotta be faster!”

“Oh my stars,” Hera gaped between them, “you wear matching hair buns?”

Rey motioned to the three buns tying back her mousy brown hair. Ezra motioned to his own matching hairstyle holding his mass of black hair in place.

“That’s cute,” Han decided.

The kitchen timer went off, and Luke scrambled to open the oven. The smell of chocolate pastries wafted through the air, and everyone swooned.

Rey skipped over to Luke and asked, “can I see?”

Luke lifted her up a little and she ooh’ed.

“How is Leia not here right now?” Han wondered. 

“The smell was supposed to summon her,” Luke said with a concerned frown, “that is true. Maybe she’s still sleeping?”

Han shrugged.

“Well,” Ezra scooped up Rey, “how about you meet everyone else while we wait?”

“Okay,” Rey agreed.

————

With Rey on his hip, Ezra searched the Temple for the rest of his ever-growing family. He found Kanan in one of the empty meditation rooms.

Ezra coughed loudly, and Kanan sighed. “No need to be annoying, Ezra. I sense you just fine.”

“Do you sense another little light too?”

Kanan opened his eyes at that, squinting them towards the girl on Ezra’s hip. “Ah, hello little one.” He quipped to Ezra, “I was wondering why you were brighter than usual.”

Ezra snorted. “I’m a bright delight, Master, or did you forget?”

“I’m afraid so.”

Ezra chuckled. “Rey, this is my former Jedi Master, Kanan Jarrus. Kanan, this is our latest addition, Rey.”

Kanan smiled kindly and rose to his feet, walking closer. “Hello, dear. You remind me of your other father.”

“Because we’re sunny?” Rey beamed.

Kanan glanced at Ezra, and he confirmed her abilities with a nod.

“Yes,” Kanan replied, “because you’re sunny.”

Ezra found Sabine and Zeb after that, playing an arm wrestling game where Sabine won.

Ezra clucked his tongue. “Not in front of the small child.”

Sabine melted at the sight of Rey, and Ezra swore that Zeb smiled.

“Rey,” Ezra said, “this is my brother and sister, Zeb Orrelios and Sabine Wren. Delinquents, this is Rey.”

“Hi, sweetie,” Sabine grinned, “you’re adorable.”

“For a humanoid,” Zeb added.

“I like your hair,” Rey chimed to Sabine. “All those colors!”

Sabine fixed her braid, with hair dye starting bright orange and fanning out to navy blue. “I like the matching hair buns.”

Ezra grinned. “Thank you. Rey taught me.”

Sabine’s brow shot up at that. “Can you teach me sometime, Rey?”

“Okay,” Rey agreed.

Ezra then guided Rey to where Chopper and Artoo were arguing, Threepio frantically trying to quiet them. Chewbacca was off to the side trying to sleep, but looked ready to toss something at them.

Ezra sighed and said to Rey, “those are droids for you. The orange one is Chopper, who’s a part of my family. The blue one is Artoo, who’s been in Luke’s family for two generations. The golden one is Threepio, who’s also been in Luke’s family since his parents were young. The Wookiee is Chewbacca, who’s Han’s best friend.”

“Cool,” Rey said.

Ezra slipped away from the binary argument, and found Leia observing one of Sabine’s wall murals, completed when they arrived at the Temple years ago.

“Leia,” Ezra said, garnering her attention, “you’re a hard woman to find.”

“That’s me,” Leia agreed.

“Rey,” Leia’s gaze settled on the little girl as Ezra spoke, “this is Luke’s twin sister, Leia Organa.”

“But,” Rey said, “they look completely different. Not like Mara and Yara.”

“That’s because Mara and Yara are identical twins,” Ezra explained, “while Luke and Leia are fraternal twins.”

“Oh,” Rey chimed, “okay.”

“Anyway,” Ezra smiled sheepishly at Leia, “this is Leia.”

“Hi,” Rey said, “you’re pretty.”

Leia clutched her heart and smiled. “Aw! Thank you. You’re pretty too, sweetheart. And that hairstyle! Magnificent!”

Rey giggled. “Thank you. I made it up.”

“Did you really? You need to teach me.” Leia motioned to her elaborate hair, a braided coil that allowed the lower section of the braid to hang to the small of her back. “I can teach you some of my own inventions.”

“Okay,” Rey said, “I’ll teach you with Sabine.”

“Deal,” Leia said with a chuckle. “Maybe Ezra can join too.”

Ezra snorted. “I’ll let you ladies handle the fabulous hair tips and tricks.”

————

Luke awoke to Rey tapping at the bedroom door frantically. He used the Force to slide open the door, and the rumpled little girl padded into the room. 

Luke sat up and put a finger to his lips. Rey studied a sleeping Ezra and nodded. Luke rose from the bed and grasped Rey’s hand. They quietly went across the hallway to Rey’s room.

When the door slid open and both plopped beside the Loth-cat Elizabeth, Rey murmured, “I saw you in a dream. You looked different.”

“How so?”

“You were younger.”

Luke blinked away his weariness and concentrated on her. “What was I wearing?”

“A big orange onesie.”

Luke snickered. “That’s a jumpsuit for pilots, Rey.”

“Big orange onesie,” Rey countered.

Luke acquiesced. “Okay. What did you see? What happened?”

“You were by a bunch of ships. There were alarms going off, and everything was red. And then Leia showed up!”

Luke paled. “Were there any words that you heard?”

“She told you...not to go somewhere? Not to do something?” Rey furrowed her brows. “But then you did it. And there was fire.”

Luke recalled the day he crashed his X-wing despite Leia’s warnings. But that was over a decade ago, and there was no fire.

Was there?

No. He was sure there wasn’t any fire.

“Are you sure you saw fire?” Luke asked.

Rey nodded. “It was over the dream. Like a layer.”

“A superimposed image,” Luke said numbly.

“Superimposed,” Rey sounded out the new word.

“What you just had was a temporal vision,” Luke said. “The Force is trying to tell us something.” He managed a smile. “But I don’t want you to worry. Let me know every time you have a vision, though. Okay?”

“Okay,” Rey mumbled, clearly unsure by the order.

Luke kissed Rey’s forehead, brushing back a curtain of brown hair. “You’re okay. I’ve had these visions before. You can go back to sleep. Elizabeth will take good care of you.” He glanced at the Loth-cat sternly. “Right?”

Elizabeth meowed, curling up in a ball at the edge of the cot.

“Okay,” Luke left the bed, “get some sleep, Rey. Good night.”

“Good night, Dada,” Rey chimed.

Luke made sure she was tucked back into the cot before shutting the door.

He walked across the hallway and pressed his forehead against the wall.

“Shit,” he hissed at himself.

“Hm?” A groggy Ezra leaned against the doorframe, his cheek pressed on the wall, his beard scratching the surface. “Was that a swear word I heard?”

Luke stepped away from the wall and slipped back into the bedroom. He wasn’t in the mood for an exhausted Ezra cracking jokes.

Ezra’s back stayed against the door as it closed. He blinked away his tiredness, and asked in soft Huttese, “are you okay, love?”

“No,” Luke replied in Huttese, rubbing his eyes and dropping onto the mattress, “I’m not.”

Ezra drifted towards the bed. Luke made to get under the covers and turn away, but Ezra plopped onto Luke’s outstretched legs before he could move.

“I’m here,” Ezra said in Huttese. “Tell me.”

Luke hesitated, and Ezra edged his body closer until he was in Luke’s lap. The sheets became a nest around them, and the springs creaked from them sitting upright.

“Husband,” Ezra said in Basic, “tell me, or I’ll employ other means to make you talk.”

Luke bit his lip, imagining Ezra slip off his shirt and pin him down, denying him until he said what bothered him.

Hot.

Luke would have made a quip about preferring that if the situation weren’t so dire. He knew there was no getting out of this one.

Luke said in sharp Basic, “Rey had a temporal vision. One of me and Leia from the past. But there was a layer of fire over it.”

There was a moment of silence, Ezra glancing downwards as he thought.

“Well,” Ezra breathed, “there’s no positive way to spin that one. Fire is bad.”

“Uh huh.”

“Kriff.”

“Yeah.”

Ezra’s sad blue eyes pierced down at Luke’s. “Are we ever going to get a break?”

“This was the break,” Luke replied.

“Fuck,” Ezra said with feeling.

“Mhm.”

“If Rey’s already seeing these signs,” Ezra said hopefully, “we might have time to prepare for what’s to come. The Force takes a while to react once something is begun.”

“This is why my Master visited me in a dream,” Luke said dazedly. 

“Huh?” Ezra blinked. “You never mentioned that!”

“Rey is the new Chosen One,” Luke continued, “and if that’s true, a new evil will arise. The fire is a clue. But Rey is too young, and that will save us. For now.”

“Luke,” Ezra said, “I need you to back up. A lot happened there.”

Luke blushed. “Sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I thought it was a random visit from my Master. Just to see how I was, you know?” He huffed. “I guess not.”

“And Rey,” Ezra said incredulously, “is our new hope?”

Luke hummed. “I should’ve known I would get replaced.”

“And you think,” Ezra asked, “the fire is something we have to figure out before Rey grows up?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. This is a lot.” Ezra sighed, swearing in Aqualish. “It’s two in the morning, Luke.”

“You said in your vows that you wanted an adventure,” Luke said wryly.

“I clearly meant that in a sexual way!”

Luke winked. “We also did that.”

Ezra blushed and said hotly, “this is supposed to be our chill time!”

“All we have to do is prepare Rey for what’s to come,” Luke said lightly. “I, for one, am glad to pass on the mantle to someone else.”

“Even if she is essentially our daughter?”

“It’s comforting,” Luke murmured. “I know she can do it. I know that’s weird, but...I know it.”

Ezra frowned. “I know she can too. But, Luke, we’re avoiding the topic of evil. What possible evil could rise? We restored the Republic!”

“Time will tell,” Luke said with a shrug.

Ezra sighed impatiently. “I hate this. I definitely can’t sleep now.”

“That’s what deep meditation is for,” Luke said pointedly.

Ezra distractedly brushed their lips together. “I need a long cuddle session. How about it?”

Luke snorted. “You’re ridiculous, Ez. Fine.”

Luke tipped himself back on the mattress, and Ezra shifted out of his lap. They cast the covers over them, and Ezra shared Luke’s pillow.

As a joke, Luke kissed Ezra’s long nose. Ezra shot him a look, but smiled nevertheless.

Luke reeled Ezra as close as possible. “Is that a good cuddling distance?”

Ezra hummed in acquiescence.

They held each other for hours, not speaking a word, preferring the silence.

————

The fire did not come until Rey was eighteen years of age.

Luke and Ezra taught her everything they knew. Without telling her, they prepared her for the worst.

And the worst? It was in front of them all along.

Ben Organa-Solo.

Luke and Ezra knew they should have watched him more carefully. Insisted that they oversee his training more often on Lothal.

But with all those other children to train, Ben slipped through their fingers. And he started the fire in the Temple. 

He turned to the Dark Side. 

A new leader rose from the ashes. A new First Order destroyed the Republic. And the galaxy was at war again.

As the Temple crumbled, Luke and Ezra worked in a frenzy. They got every child out, but they knew what had to happen.

The Temple collapsed in half, and the couple found themselves in the grand hall. They could go outside, but the Force made them realize their purpose.

“We’re meant to die here,” Ezra murmured, “aren’t we?”

Luke crisscrossed in the middle of the chamber, and nodded curtly.

Rey’s constant visions indicated that both men would die by fire. It was all so clear, now that it was too late.

Over the years, Rey saw several visions of their pasts. She would describe times where Luke was a farmer on Tatooine, or the Rebellion’s star pilot, or the Jedi who ended the Empire. She would describe times where Ezra was a homeless thief on Lothal, or a Jedi apprentice on the Ghost, or an activist with more potential than he knew. She saw them individually and after they met, when they fought together and went on missions together. 

All of these past memories were cast in fire.

And so it was. Death by fire.

Ezra dropped onto the chamber floor, sitting across from Luke. They may have aged quite a bit, but Ezra didn’t feel ready to die. Not until he saw Rey one last time.

There was a shift of light in the Force, and a figure burst through the doors.

“Dad! Papa!” Rey rushed to them, searching them frantically. “Why are you on the ground? Get up!”

It was Luke who calmly offered his hands. “Sit with me, Rey.”

“But the Temple is on fire!”

“Yes,” Luke smiled meekly, “and you will be fine. Now sit with me. Take my hands.”

Rey grasped both of Luke’s hands, sinking into a crouch with one knee propping her up. She formed the point in their triangle.

She glanced worriedly at Ezra. “Papa, what’s wrong with Dad?”

“Sweetheart,” Ezra said softly, forcing down rising tears, “it’s up to you now.”

“Huh?” When Ezra didn’t make to explain herself, she directed her gaze to Luke. “Dad, what’s going on?”

“We have to go now, honey,” Luke said gently. “Our time is up. You foresaw it.”

“What?” Rey asked weakly.

“The fire, Rey,” Ezra murmured. “The fire.”

Rey’s eyes welled up, and she breathed heavily. “No. No!” She shook her head. “No!”

Since Luke’s hands were occupied, Ezra brushed a tear that streaked down Rey’s cheek. “Honey,” Ezra cooed, “don’t cry. We’re okay. I promise we’re okay. You have to move on without us. It’s your time now.”

“No! I won’t leave you here!”

“The ceiling is going to crack,” Luke said numbly. “You’ll have no choice. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry this had to happen to you. I didn’t want this to happen again. And especially not to you.”

“What’s going to happen?” Rey sniffled, tears falling down her face. “You’re not making sense, Dad.”

Luke settled his teary eyes on Rey, looking at her with all the meaning and all the wisdom in the galaxy.

“You can save Ben,” Luke said.

Rey’s breath hitched. “What? How?”

Luke did not answer, and glanced upwards.

The ceiling revealed spiderweb cracks that were getting larger. The heat of the flames encroached into the chamber, licking the pillars and the tile floor.

Rey made a choked noise, and Ezra grasped both of their hands in his. Ezra received Rey and Luke’s complete attention.

Ezra addressed Rey. “I love you very much, Rey. I’m so proud of how far you’ve come. There’s no one in this galaxy like you.”

“Don’t say goodbye,” Rey shook her head, “don’t do this. Please don’t.”

“Rey,” she faced Luke’s gentle voice, “you’re my daughter in all but blood, and I love you more than I ever thought possible. I believe in you.”

The cracks created a fissure in the ceiling, and the fire was getting closer by the second.

Luke pulled his hands away, and Ezra did the same. Rey was a mess of tears, but she knew what to do.

“Now go,” Luke said authoritatively.

With all of her strength, Rey rose to her feet and took a step back.

“I love you,” Rey said to her adoptive parents.

Then, she turned and ran.

Luke and Ezra looked at each other. Their inward despair resulted in pained expressions, but they knew their time was limited.

It was Luke who tugged Ezra close and brought their foreheads together. The ceiling revealed blazing sunlight spilling into the chamber, and both men closed their eyes.

The same memory played behind their eyelids. It was the first time they arrived on Lothal. Luke used the Force to make the Temple rise from its sunken state in the canyon. He was riddled with conflict at the prospect of training disciples so soon after the war.

But Ezra felt the same way. Ezra strode up to Luke while he was a mess inside, gathered him in his arms, and rested their foreheads together. They breathed as one, Loth-wolves and Loth-cats peering in on the moment as the Temple rose to its full height.

Luke and Ezra breathed, and never felt more at peace as their Force signatures intertwined.

They did this now, decades later, breathing as one as they awaited their fates.

“I love you,” Luke whispered. 

“I love you too,” Ezra murmured.

The fire licked their skin, and the ceiling crashed.

————

The first thing Luke registered was that he was on a bed. Possibly the softest bed that ever existed.

But this bed was a memory. It seemed familiar.

Luke opened his eyes, the light from a panoramic section of the wall blocking his vision. The curtains were not up, the full force of the sun’s rays cast across the room.

He saw that Ezra was lying beside him, and he furrowed his brows.

Ezra was younger. He was beardless, and his hair was shorn into a buzzcut, and his dual cheekbone scars were incredibly prominent. And there wasn’t a single wrinkle on his face or gray hair mixed with his salt-and-pepper mane.

This was twenty-eight year old Ezra, the Ezra that Luke met after the war.

Ezra’s breathing pattern changed, and his long lashes fluttered open. He studied Luke’s appearance, which must look quite young too.

“Huh,” Ezra said, “hello there, beautiful.”

“Are you speaking to me,” Luke quipped, “or yourself?”

Ezra cracked a grin. “You, love. Always you.”

The lack of a flirtatious remark or a joke had Luke’s brow quirk upwards.

“So,” Luke said, “I guess we’re dead, huh?”

Ezra hummed, rolling onto his back to stretch. Luke registered that Ezra wasn’t wearing any clothing, and he wasn’t either. Luke blushed and cast the sheets higher to his chest, while Ezra didn’t care about doing the same.

“Seems alright so far,” Ezra said, comprehending the contents of the room. Luke noticed the twinge of surprise as Ezra’s brow quivered. “This room seems really familiar.”

Luke sat up, hugging the sheets to his body as he glanced around. The furniture and amenities and panoramic glass were of a higher class, fancier than the basic items they normally had.

Luke grasped the blanket underneath the covers and yanked it away from the mattress. It pooled around his lap, and he tossed the excess fabric across his body. He stepped off the bed, breezing towards the window. Ezra watched him with wide eyes every light step of the way, momentarily mesmerized by Luke’s effortless glide. Ezra’s curiosity at what was outside stopped him from vehemently expressing just how desirable his husband was to him as Luke looked out the window.

Floral meadows and a glittering lake outside rendered Luke breathless.

“Naboo,” Luke said softly, “we’re on Naboo. In my mother’s Lake Country house.”

“Really?” Ezra asked incredulously. Luke heard the bed shift, and the rustle of the covers as they moved.

The sound of soft footsteps padded against the carpet. Ezra’s chin tucked over Luke’s shoulder as he surveyed what was behind the glass.

“Well this could be worse, huh?” Ezra remarked, his smile apparent despite Luke being unable to see it.

“We’re in a memory,” Luke realized, “but an alternate timeline.”

“Huh?” Ezra tilted his chin and observed Luke’s profile. “How could you possibly figure that out?”

“Because this memory is one of my favorites,” Luke replied, “and it must be one of yours too.”

Luke knew the exact second that the memory hit Ezra from his olive-skinned blush.

“Oh,” he mumbled, hiding his face in Luke’s shoulder, “swimming and sex.”

“I can also tell what year it is.” Luke made a point of dragging his finger pads across Ezra’s buzzcut, listening to the bristle as his lack of hair sprung back up.

Ezra snorted. “Stop that. It feels weird.”

“Deal with it,” Luke countered. “And you’ll have to forever, you know.”

Ezra hummed, kissing Luke’s neck. “What do you think is happening right now out there?”

Luke sighed. “Chaos. Mourning. Suffering. All of those lovely things.”

“I wish we could have stayed a little longer,” Ezra murmured.

“Rey will prevail without us,” Luke said. “I know it in my heart and soul.”

“Meanwhile,” Ezra asked, “what do we do now?”

Luke tipped his head back. “Each other.”

Ezra encircled his arms around Luke’s waist. “Oh, I love you.”

“I know.”

————

They didn’t know how much time passed, but there was a ringing at the door. Since Luke was closer to the entrance of the lake house, he opened the door.

An old man in a familiar brown robe was on the stoop. He tugged down his hood to reveal white hair and knowing blue eyes.

“My goodness,” Obi-Wan said, “it took me far too long to discover you were here.”

Luke blinked away his shock and glanced over Ben’s shoulder. “Where did you come from?”

“That’s the thing, isn’t it?” Ben chuckled. “The living Force is a strange place to spend an eternal afterlife.”

“Well,” Luke said, “you have a penchant for disappearing for several years and reappearing at random times. I should have expected it.”

Ben frowned. “I’m sorry, Luke. I should have been there more. Even before...everything.”

Luke shrugged, at a loss. He certainly didn’t expect some semblance of an apology.

“The past is the past,” Luke decided, opening the door further. “I was brewing tea.”

“Ah,” Ben smiled as he stepped into the threshold, “I’d like some false tea.”

Ezra finally appeared through an archway, hesitating at the sight of the stranger. He glanced at Luke, then studied the man’s face.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi?” Ezra blinked. “Huh.”

Ben inclined his head. “Ezra Bridger,” he greeted cordially.

He caught Luke’s gaze, and said, “I’ll leave you both...to it.” Ezra cleared his throat and exited the way he entered.

Luke smiled awkwardly. “He means well.” He ducked his head a little, and said, “I’ll bring the tea over.”

————

After another passage of time that could not be determined, Luke heard the knock of a cane against the door.

He jolted out of bed and said, “oh my stars.”

“What?” Ezra sighed, trying to doze off since it was still early in the morning.

Luke tossed on Jedi robes to make sure he was completely covered. “That cane. It’s Yoda.”

Ezra fell out of bed. “What?!”

“Get it together, Ez!” Luke called out as he dashed out of the bedroom.

He padded across the large house as fast as possible, tugging open the front door and staring down at the short green being.

“Luke,” Yoda said. “A long time, it has been.”

“Yes,” Luke said numbly, “it has.”

“Come with me, you must,” Yoda said. “Time for the end, it is.”

It took a moment for the words to sink in.

“Rey,” Luke breathed concernedly.

Hasty footsteps came to a screeching halt behind Luke. Ezra blinked downwards, and nearly froze at the sight of Yoda.

“Master Yoda,” Ezra inclined his head to show respect, “it’s an honor.”

Yoda cocked his head to the side. “Follow, you must.”

He turned and used his cane to guide him forward. Ezra glanced at Luke confusedly, and he mouthed, “Rey.”

Ezra’s concern as a father turned his skin waxy, and Luke guided him towards Yoda.

They walked until they reached the edge of their known paradise, and Yoda tapped his cane on the grass three times. The world bent to Yoda’s will, and the couple held hands as everything shifted.

Faced with insurmountable whiteness, Yoda said, “close your eyes, you must.”

Luke and Ezra were in no position to argue or ask questions. So they closed their eyes.

They felt the world moving even more, and did not twitch a single muscle.

“Open your eyes,” Yoda said.

Luke and Ezra were in the upper balcony of a massive throne room. It was completely dark, save for white armored stormtroopers.

They shared a look. The past was repeating itself.

A tall man clad in black entered the empty throne room with a cache of stormtroopers. These ones, though, had maroon armor. Much more menacing.

So that was different, at least.

The man sat imposingly on the throne, and Luke noticed he was wearing a mask with silver plating around the eyes and down the cheeks.

The vocoder was a sonic boom inside the echo chamber. “Bring her to me. And him.”

The guards that escorted him were split into two groups, fanning out in opposite directions.

Once the doors were closed, an angry man in a black military uniform strode into the room haughtily. His forehead veins were ready to burst, his face and hair an ugly fiery red.

“Kylo Ren,” the man spat, “you have some nerve sitting where the Supreme Leader once sat.”

“I am his apprentice, Admiral Hux,” the vocoder boomed, “and the Supreme Leader proved too weak to defeat the girl. I will finish the job.”

“She escaped the first time,” Hux countered, “so what makes you think she won’t again?”

“Because she surrendered herself to me,” Kylo said, pleasure dripping out of his scrambled voice. “She chooses to die by my saber willingly.”

Ezra’s head shot towards Luke in alarm. He hissed, “he used my shorthand for a lightsaber.”

“Ren,” Luke’s eyes widened, “Ben.”

Ezra was positively haunted, and Luke felt vaguely sick.

“You better hope this works,” Hux huffed, “or our people will have to elect a better leader than a mere boy playing at master.”

The Force twisted around Ben as he lifted a hand. His fingers clenched into a fist, and Hux violently took to the air. Hux clawed at his throat as he lost his breath, and Ben waited a long moment before dropping him. Hux fell to the marble floor gasping like a fish out of water, and Ben seemed to delight in his pain.

He nodded sharply to the black armored guard on his left. “Take him away.”

Hux put up no resistance as the stormtrooper dragged him to his feet and removed him from the throne room.

As one door closed, the door to Ben’s right slid open.

“Let go of me! Don’t grab me so tight!”

It took the strength of four stormtroopers to escort a handcuffed Jacen into the throne room. 

Ezra gasped and grabbed Luke’s hand before he knew he was doing it. Luke clenched his jaw and tugged Ezra close.

Despite Jacen’s bright green hair, he was as fierce as ever, his age not diminishing his natural chaotic energy. His face, though, lost its baby fat and endless joviality. Jacen was all sharp features and slender shoulders and an angular jaw that probably spoke as if cutting opponents with invisible knives. 

However, any possibility of Jacen being turned was dashed. He had long ago learned to temper his steel, and exercised enough control to impress even the wisest of Jedi Masters.

Jacen was dragged in front of Ben on the throne and forced to his knees.

“Jacen,” Ben said, the vocoder slicing through Jacen more effectively than a blade, “how kind of you to join me.”

“I won’t let you hurt Rey,” Jacen said bitingly.

Ben laughed, a rumble through his mask that sounded like a thunderclap. “What? Here to play the hero? The shining Knight?” He scoffed. “Please. Rey doesn’t need you to save her. She can handle a duel.”

“I know that!” Jacen huffed. “But you can end this!”

“I am ending it,” Ben said with finality. “I would like to thank you, Jacen. I think,” he laughed again, “you’ll make good bait.”

Jacen’s eyes widened upon realizing his mistake, and stormtroopers brought him to his feet. He was dragged up the steps and towards the throne, trying to fight his way out. But it was to no avail; the stormtroopers were gripping too tight.

Ben rose to his full height, and the fact that he could go toe-to-toe with Jacen, who was slender and quite tall, was sobering. Jacen was forced to tilt his head up the slightest bit at the mask, and Ben clearly enjoyed it.

The stormtroopers broke away, and Ben’s gloved hand clamped down on Jacen’s shoulder. He spun Jacen around so that his back was against Ben’s chest.

A lightsaber hilt was called to Ben’s palm, and he ignited a humming red blade, one that practically bled with anger. It was a blaze more dangerous than a fire, and two extra crystals ignited smaller blades on both sides of the hilt. These smaller crystals burned even brighter and hotter, probably enough to sear skin clear off the bone.

The lightsaber was leveled towards Jacen’s throat, one of the smaller blades a half-inch from searing Jacen’s neck clean off his body. Jacen’s entire body clenched up, and he barely breathed for fear of getting his throat sliced by the lightsaber.

“Not so defiant now,” Ben said cockily, his vocoder nearly shattering Jacen’s eardrum, “are we?”

Jacen gritted his teeth and said nothing.

The center door to the throne room was opened, and the Force crackled with light.

Rey needed eight armored stormtroopers to escort her inside the throne room, her wrists bound with triple locks.

Luke said proudly, “that’s my girl.”

Ezra hummed in agreement, but squeezed Luke’s hand to express his concern for her.

Rey aged a few years, most likely in her mid-twenties by now. Her expression had hardened, and her features were sharp like Jacen’s. Her wardrobe had also changed, preferring gray robes over beige, the lightest color being the tan cloth securing triple buns that Luke gave her. 

What hadn’t changed was the warmth in her brown eyes, and the sunshine that followed her like an old friend. In that regard, she was still the same Rey that Luke found as a five year old girl on Jakku.

“Rey,” Ben said, “you’re right on time.” He tilted his mask towards the troopers. “Leave us.”

Once the stormtroopers filed out of the throne room, Rey focused on Jacen as if disappointed. “I said no one should follow me. Least of all you.”

Jacen smiled sheepishly, his affection for Rey transparent in his wide blue eyes. “I couldn’t let you do this alone.”

“That was wrong of you to assume,” Rey said, turning her cheek towards Ben instead. “You don’t have to hurt him. I surrendered. I’m sorry he’s here.”

Ben scoffed, and it came out of the vocoder like a bomb exploding. “You were a fool to think he wouldn’t come. It was always going to be the three of us.” Ben inched the lightsaber a centimeter closer to Jacen’s throat just to make him wince and curl into Ben’s chest. “That’s the way it’s always been. Ever since childhood. Both of us,” Jacen clenched his jaw as Ben spat at Rey, “vying for your favor.”

Luke stepped back as if being electrocuted by Force lightning, staggering at what he was missing all along.

Luke sifted through his memories of Rey, Ben, and Jacen as children. He knew Rey’s blinding aura garnered attention, and that both boys were mesmerized by her upon first meeting. But he thought nothing of the time that passed, figuring that Ben and Jacen would get over their momentary fascination with Rey and see her as a member of the family.

His oversight caused this, just as his neglect of Ben caused him to turn to the Dark Side.

Ezra seemed to know the destructive path Luke’s mind was taking him on. He whispered in Luke’s ear, “it’s okay. I didn’t know either.”

Luke held Ezra’s hand even tighter for a moment while he gained his bearings.

Rey, meanwhile, didn’t even bat an eye. “Is that what this is really about? Because I didn’t choose you?”

Ezra bristled, ready to spontaneously become corporeal and throw punches.

“Well, guess what?” Rey stared directly into Ben’s mask. “I didn’t choose him either.”

Luke heard Ezra sigh in relief.

“All I want,” Rey held up her bound hands to express genuineness, “is for you to be okay, Ben.”

“Don’t call me that,” Ben said venomously.

Rey backed down instead of rising up, choosing to take the cautionary route. She didn’t so much as glance at a squirming Jacen, knowing it might set Ben off.

Luke adored his daughter so very much for using her head and her words.

Rey took a breath, keeping her palms held up to show trust. “I know that your parents are gone, and you think you have no way out. But I know the way out. I can keep you safe. I can protect you from all of them. Everyone, on both sides.”

Upon hearing that Leia and Han were dead, Luke’s knees nearly buckled. But Ezra’s hand steadied him, his husband’s dark blue eyes expressing sympathy and concern, while also reminding Luke to remain a silent spectator.

Luke watched Ben falter, his lightsaber pulling back from Jacen’s throat by the slightest quarter-inch. Jacen’s gaze flickered down to the thrumming blade, but didn’t make to maneuver away. He understood the delicacy of the situation, and studied Rey thoughtfully.

When Ben did not speak, Rey continued, “there’s a planet that nobody knows about except me. It’s been untouched by humanoid life, and you would be safe there.”

Jacen clenched his jaw to prevent from bristling. He clearly had no clue what Rey was talking about.

Ben hesitated, then asked, “how do you know that I would be safe? Nowhere is safe.”

“The Force will protect you there,” Rey said, her grin making both men dizzy. “All you have to do is put away your lightsaber and follow me to your ship.”

Ben tilted his helmet to the side. “There are fifty Jedi in the galaxy. Are you telling me that not a single one will pursue us?”

“Not one,” Rey said reassuringly. “They are loyal to me. They will do as I say.”

“And if they seek to enter your thoughts,” Ben asked, “they will not be able to discover my location?”

“No one has cracked inside my mind,” Rey said. “The location is safer with me than anyone else.”

“And if you betray me?”

“I will not betray you,” Rey replied with conviction. “I would never.”

“And if your ship is tracked?”

“It won’t be. I’m too clever for that.”

Ben chuckled shortly, coming out garbled through the vocoder. A semblance of his old self was there, though, and that gave Luke hope.

If Luke could have faith in a monster formerly known as his father, Rey could easily believe in a cousin gone Dark.

“You planned this,” Ben said blankly, “didn’t you?”

Rey smiled, and Luke swore she was a child again. “Of course. I just want you to be safe. I don’t want anyone to hurt you anymore. Will you come with me?”

There was a long silence, followed by Ben shutting off his lightsaber. With a violent Force push, he held Jacen against the wall in midair.

His black robes swayed as he stood a breath away from Rey. He tilted his mask down, one arm splayed to constrict Jacen’s movement.

Rey didn’t say a word, staring at Ben as he thought it through. Rey looked so eager and happy to be of service that Luke sensed Ben’s mask falter.

Ben dropped the arm, Jacen falling to the ground hard. With a swipe of his hand, Rey’s triple-locked binds clattered to the marble floor.

“Let’s go,” Ben said, “before I change my mind.”

Rey and Ben left the room together, Rey hiding a smile.

Jacen struggled to his feet, using the wall to gain momentum. He huffed and tugged on his ear, revealing the parts of a small comm link. With deft fingers, Jacen secured the pieces together, making the comm link active within fifteen seconds.

He flicked on the comm and said weakly, “don’t follow Rey and Ben. Whatever she’s doing, it’s working. Now stage the coup.”

Jacen turned off the comm and stealthily locked all entryways by hacking into the system within a few keystrokes. There was the sound of lightsabers and blaster fire nearby.

Luke and Ezra looked at each other concernedly.

Several Force presences spurred Jacen to open the center door. Luna lead the pack inside, five lightsabers sweeping the throne room. Luke recognized Ramir, Shira, Mavis, and Quincy as part of the pack.

It was Shira who shut down her purple lightsaber and asked Jacen, “what in the stars is Rey doing?”

“She’s going to hide Ben,” Jacen said numbly.

“That wasn’t a part of the plan,” Shira said, shaking her head. “She’ll get herself killed.”

“She can handle Ben. She’s always been able to handle Ben.”

“All we can do,” Luna piped up, “is hope that the Force will guide her to safety. Now let’s set the charges.”

As they unzipped bags of bombs, Ezra snorted, “classic move.”

“But effective,” Luke muttered.

A cane was tapped three times, and the couple jumped.

They had forgotten Yoda was there.

“To Ahch-To, we must go,” Yoda said. “The end of their story, it is.”

“Will it work?” Luke dared to ask.

Yoda dared to reply with a simple nod.

He tapped the cane three more times, and the world folded it on itself, until nothing but darkness was left.

This darkness was preceded by another cane tap, and Luke watched a new world take shape around him. Ezra glanced around worriedly, as if something would jump out and snatch him away in case he let go of Luke’s hand.

They were transported onto an island formed of craggy rocks and lush foliage. The weather was windy and harsh, a cliff face the grounding for several stone huts.

The Falcon was docked on the cliff adjacent to theirs, and seeing it without Han or Leia or Chewie or the droids made Luke feel oddly hollow inside.

A hut door opened, and Ben stepped out, devoid of a mask and dark clothing.

Luke gasped at the jagged scar that destroyed half of Ben’s face, his hair now as messy and ink black as Ezra’s. Ben’s hazel eyes, which were once full of curiosity, were beady and extinguished, as emotionless as ashy coal. His stature was incredibly imposing, and his face betrayed a world-worn weariness that should be on a man twice his age.

Luke and Ezra knew the feeling well, having been dealt several lifetimes’ worth of pain to face on their own.

But Ben’s Force signature had changed. When he was in the throne room, he fed on the surrounding darkness like a leech sucking on blood. Now, when faced with pure Light, Ben was a simple wind gust among a harmonious system. His aura reminded Luke so much of Leia’s in this moment that Luke’s eyes welled up.

Seeing Ben in white and tan clothing, though, was strange. It didn’t suit him in the way it should.

Rey was suddenly there, a guiding light drawing Ben’s interest in her direction. A pack of porgs followed Rey as she halted near Ben. Her open palm revealed a comm.

“This is for emergencies only,” Rey sent him a teasing grin, “so don’t use it because you’re lonely.”

The comm was dropped into Ben’s hand, and he stared down at it, then at her.

It hit Luke how much Ben looked like Anakin. And how much Rey looked like Padmé.

But the match, this time, would not come to pass.

“Who is it?” Ben asked, not a hint of malice or ill intentions in his tone. Luke noted the oddly deep tenor of Ben’s voice, and wondered if it was a side effect of using a vocoder for so long.

Rey narrowed her eyes, shifting her feet uncertainly.

An impish smile appeared on Ben’s face, and Luke almost missed it due to the heavy scarring on his cheek. “I’m not going to track them down. I’m just curious: who has so effectively captured your attention that you would reject everyone else?”

Rey batted her eyelashes, and replied demurely, “she’s a pilot. That’s all I’m at liberty to say.” She blinked down at a porg hopping near her boots, and admitted, “I haven’t told anyone even that much. I’ve been holding it in for a while now.”

“Does she know about your feelings?”

“She...suspects.”

Ben closed his fingers around the comm. “I won’t keep you. I know you bombed the space station. Celebrations might start soon.”

Rey hesitantly looked at him, stepped back, then forwards again.

In an impulsive move, she tossed her arms around Ben’s neck and hugged him, using her tiptoes as leverage. Ben blinked in shock, placing his hands on her sides. He sank into her for the slightest beat, and Rey lowered herself to her normal height.

Rey gazed up at him and promised, “I’ll see you very soon.”

Ben nodded, and Rey breezed away, Force jumping from one cliff to another as if inhaling a breath of fresh air. She moved like a balloon, expanding and collapsing to the cliff side and entering the humming Falcon.

Yoda tapped his cane and transported them onto the old starship. Luke and Ezra watched Rey take Han’s old seat, melancholic that the original crew wasn’t around anymore. 

Rey flew the Falcon out of Ahch-To airspace, and received a communication. She pressed the receiver button, and an unfamiliar droid speaking in rapid binary was heard.

“Beebee,” Rey chuckled, “slow down. Are Finn and Poe alright?”

The droid beeped in the affirmative.

“That’s all you had to say,” Rey said exasperatedly. “Speak slowly and calmly. Is everyone out of there?”

There was another affirmative.

“Is anyone hurt?”

There was a string of beeps.

Rey sighed. “I figured as much. But other than that? Everyone’s okay?”

The droid made an affirmative noise.

“Did the party start? Did Finn and Poe admit their undying love for one another yet?”

The droid made a beep that said ‘I wish.’

Rey chuckled as she plotted coordinates to a secret base. “What about Jessika?”

There was an ‘ooh-la-la’ boop, and Rey blushed.

“Did she make it out of the dogfight okay or not?”

There was an affirmative beep, and Rey nodded.

“Again, that’s all you had to say.” Rey scoffed. “You’re a lot for a droid.” She cleared her throat. “Let everyone know I’ll be back in two standard hours.”

The droid agreed to pass it on, and Rey shut off the comm link.

“Your chance, it is,” Yoda croaked. He moved his cane, disappearing into the ether.

Luke and Ezra shared a hesitant look, unsure what to do.

A mischievous gleam reached Ezra’s eyes, and Luke facepalmed.

As if it were any other day, Ezra dropped into the copilot’s seat and asked, “where are we headed?”

Rey nearly had a heart attack, clutching the chair with one hand while trying to steer with the other.

She closed her eyes. “You’re dreaming, Rey. Or maybe this is because you haven’t slept in three days. But it’s not real.”

Ezra grinned amusedly. “Do you think that’s gonna work, sweetheart?”

Rey opened her eyes into slits. Once she saw that Ezra wasn’t a hallucination, her breath hitched loudly. Her eyes widened, and she quickly set the Falcon on autopilot. Rey swiveled her chair to face Ezra, who was having far too much fun scaring their daughter.

“Ez,” Luke huffed, “stop being so insensitive.”

Rey had a second heart attack, gaping as Luke cast his arms around the top of the copilot’s chair. He moved his prosthetic hand down to swat at Ezra’s head, but Ezra batted it away with a snort.

“Dads,” Rey breathed in disbelief, “you’re really here right now?”

Luke smiled sweetly at Rey. “Hi, honey. I see that you’ve been busy.”

Rey rose to her feet, tears welling up in her eyes. She glanced between their bodies, no more solid than a hologram, and said softly, “I wish I could hug you both.”

Luke concentrated on the living Force, took a determined step in Rey’s direction, and splayed out his palm. The faded prosthetic hand stayed on Rey’s cheek, as if a solid warmth were there touching her.

Rey sniffled, blinking away rising tears. “Hi Dad. Hi Papa. You look so young! Like in my dreams!”

Ezra teased, “did you think we were fifty forever, sweetheart?”

Rey glanced down at Ezra in the chair. “You look the most different. I didn’t know you had these.” Rey made two fingers press against her cheekbone to mime Ezra’s scars.

Ezra said nothing about the remark, instead managing, “you’ve grown up. Luke,” his eyes glistened as he grasped Luke’s unoccupied hand, “see how grown up she is?”

“I see,” Luke said, hiding a smile at his husband’s sudden swell of emotion. “We’re both so very proud of you, Rey.”

“Our sunshine girl,” Ezra cooed, sounding a little choked up, “you did so good. I couldn’t have done any better.”

“We know that,” Luke said, rolling his eyes to make Rey laugh. 

“Did you see?” Rey blinked between them. “How did you see?”

“Yoda thought we should know how great our daughter is doing,” Ezra said, sniffling and wiping away tears that weren’t even real.

“Yoda?” Rey grinned delightedly. “Wow! Will I meet him someday?”

“Someday,” Luke promised, smiling at Rey’s sudden joyfulness. 

“And will I see you too?” Rey asked hopefully.

Luke glanced at Ezra, and realized that neither could deny the other from this possibility.

Luke replied, “of course.”

The couple decided to stay beside Rey for the duration of her trip, happy that they lead the next generation into a new galaxy.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my passion project. I’m sure I’ll delve into writing more Skybridger fics in the future, but I need a break. I’m sure I’ll have an idea in the coming weeks!
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated!


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